Hawaii restaurants prepare for new food safety inspection program

Inspectors with the Hawaii Department of Health this month will begin assigning color-coded placards to restaurants across the state intended to inform diners of any food safety violations.

The color-coded placard program has been in the works for a at least a couple of years and went into effect in February, but the DOH wanted to give restaurants time to make sure that they understood the new rules, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo. Workers with the DOH have spent the past few months visiting restaurants to inform them about what they should do to comply.

Now that outreach efforts are almost complete, Okubo said that inspectors will begin distributing the placards in mid-to-late July.

The placards are green, yellow and red. A green card will be posted if no more than one major violation is found during the inspection and that the violation is corrected right then.

A yellow placard will be posted if the major violation is not corrected or when at least two major violations are found. That yellow card can be replaced with a green one within two business days if the violation is corrected.

Inspectors will issue a red placard if an imminent health hazard is found, such as sewage overflow, no hot water, rodents and vermin and severe unsanitary conditions, the health department said.

The restaurant will also be closed until the health hazard is eradicated.

Restaurants also now must follow stricter sanitation rules. For example, they must now renew their permits each year, rather than every two years, as before They cannot have any bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, and they must post an advisory warning diners that consuming raw or undercooked foods could increase their risk of illnesses.

Brian Blair, a partner in Ferguson’s Pub in Downtown Honolulu, said a representative from the Department of Health stopped by the bar and restaurant several weeks ago to explain the new system.